Motorists in Milton Keynes among the hardest hit with 32,000 parking tickets issued in a year

Motorists in Milton Keynes are among the most likely in the UK to fall foul of traffic wardens, according to a survey of local authorities.

In 2013, a total of 32,421 parking tickets were issued, according to a Freedom of Information request, putting the local authority in the top 10 list outside of London.

This means traffic wardens hand out an average of 88 tickets to unwitting motorists in Milton Keynes each day.

Steve Barrett, head of Churchill Car Insurance which carried out the survey, said: “Parking regulations are a hugely important part of keeping roads safe and clear, but it’s also essential that fines are fair and proportionate. In many areas, parking restrictions can be confusing and appear inconsistent, so we’d urge motorists to be vigilant when parking their vehicles to avoid hefty fines.

“There is a fine line between fair and opportunistic that councils shouldn’t be tempted to cross.”

It was also revealed the council made £6,181,875.80. in 2013 from its parking meters.

A spokesman for Milton Keynes Council said: “Income from parking fines is a very small proportion of overall parking income – around seven per cent of the £11m or so revenue we receive on average each year through car parking charges, scratchcards and permits etc. This money is ploughed back into transport improvements, such as providing better bus services, for example.

“We have more than 20,000 parking spaces in CMK alone, as well as numerous other others dotted around in the satellite towns and villages. Proportionately that’s a lot bigger than many other towns/cities of a similar size.

“We are also fairly lenient in Milton Keynes – cancelling around 25 per cent of Penalty Charge Notices – where someone can prove they have made a genuine, first-time mistake – for example forgetting to scratch off the correct year on a scratchcard.”

He added signage outlining parking rules are dictated by the Government to ensure conformity of across the UK.